Esophageal stent migration can lead to intestinal obstruction

BACKGROUND: Self-expanding metallic stents are the devices of choice in the treatment of malign or benign strictures of the esophagus. Stent migration is a well-known complication of this procedure. AIMS: We report a case of intestinal obstruction caused by esophageal stent migration, in which surgical intervention was used. METHODS: A 65-year-old woman, who had a medical history of gastric cancer operations and esophageal stent applications, was admitted to our emergency department with a 48-hour history of abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. An emergency laparotomy was performed and the migrated stent causing intestinal obstruction was removed. RESULTS: The patient recovered without incident and was discharged on postoperative day 3. CONCLUSION: This case illustrates that esophageal stent migration has to be considered as a potential life-threatening complication.